是什么决定了我们的品味？

这里是BBC英语学习频道的《六分钟英语》节目，官网是bbclearningenglish.com。

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

大家好。

Hello.

欢迎收听BBC英语学习频道的《六分钟英语》。

This is six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

我是菲尔。

I'm Phil.

我是贝丝。

And I'm Beth.

那我们现在来聊聊吃的吧。

Now let's talk about food.

好的。

Okay.

你喜欢吃什么？

What food do you love?

那你讨厌什么食物呢？

What food do you hate?

如果你问问身边的人，很快就会发现这个问题根本没有标准答案。

If you ask around, you'll soon see there's no right or wrong answer.

这完全是个人口味的问题。

It's all a question of taste.

不过我们的口味，其实并不只是主观偏好那么简单。

But our taste, it turns out, isn't simply a matter of opinion.

确切来说，科学家已经发现，我们的基因和DNA会影响味觉

Rather, scientists have discovered that taste is influenced by our genes and DNA.

所以在本期节目中，我们要来探讨：味觉到底是什么？

So in this program, we'll be asking, what is taste?

为什么每个人对味道的感受都不一样？

Why can't we agree on it?

还有，那些专门指导我们该吃什么该喝什么的专家，他们的意见真的值得听吗？

And is it worth listening to experts whose job is to tell us what to eat and drink?

和往常一样，我们还会在节目里学几个实用的新词汇。

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

好啊。

Great.

不过首先，贝丝，我有个问题要问你。

But first, I have a question for you, Beth.

要了解英国人的口味，从他们最爱的零食薯片入手就很合适。

A good way of finding out about British tastes is with the nation's best loved snack, crisps.

那英国最受欢迎的薯片口味是什么呢？

So what is the most popular flavor of crisps in The UK?

选项是A：盐醋味，B：芝士洋葱味，还是C：鲜虾沙拉味？

Is it a, salt and vinegar, b, cheese and onion, or c, prawn cocktail?

那我猜是芝士洋葱味吧。

I'm going to guess cheese and onion.

好的，贝丝。

Okay, Beth.

答案我会在节目稍后揭晓。

I'll reveal the answer later in the program.

科学对味觉机制的理解是从25年前才开始的，当时发现了舌头味蕾上的味觉受体细胞。

Science's understanding of how taste works started only twenty five years ago with the discovery of taste receptors cells located in the taste buds on your tongue.

但每个人的口味都是独特的。

But people's taste is unique to them.

我觉得甜的东西，别人尝起来可能觉得酸或者咸。

What tastes sweet to me might taste sour or salty to someone else.

这是因为人们天生的味觉感受器就存在差异

And this is because of differences in the receptors we're born with.

换句话说，口味偏好一部分是由基因决定的

In other words, taste is partly genetic.

接下来，费城曼尼尔化学感官中心的研究员丹妮尔·里德会做客BBC全球服务节目《食物链》，为我们详细解释这个问题

Here's Danielle Reid, researcher at the Mannell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, explaining more to BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain.

我们刚开始做基因研究的时候，研究对象只局限在少数几位拥有欧洲血统的受试者身上

When we first started doing genetic studies, we really just confined ourselves to looking at a few European people of European ancestry.

所以我们原本对全球人类庞大的基因多样性的了解，存在非常大的局限性。

And so our understanding of the broad diversity of humans on the planet was extremely limited.

现在我们正在拓展研究范围，把拥有亚洲和非洲血统的人群也纳入研究，这个调整让我们有了全新的发现：人类的多样性远比我们过去认知的要丰富得多。

We are broadening our horizons and studying people of Asian and African ancestry, and that has really opened up the knowledge that people are much more diverse than we ever realized.

那你刚才说的意思是，味觉根本不是什么主观偏好的问题，

And what you're saying is, no, taste isn't a matter of opinion.

而是由生理条件决定的。

It's a matter of biology.

没错。

Exactly.

大家都知道，要是身边有朋友是色盲，我们绝不会因为他们分不清红色，或者穿了我们觉得不好看的颜色就指责他们，但我们却总是随意评判朋友的口味。

And we wouldn't you know, for our friends who are color blind, we wouldn't chastise them for not being able to see red or for dressing in colors we don't appreciate, but we feel very free to criticize our friends' sense of taste.

直到后来科学家走出欧洲、去研究世界其他地区的人群，才发现人类的味觉原来如此多元。

It was only when scientists looked outside Europe to the rest of the world that they realized the diversity of human taste.

丹妮尔说，他们当时把研究范围拓展了。

Danielle says they broadened their horizons.

他们用全新的思路展开研究，就是为了更深入地了解这个领域，积累更多相关知识。

They investigated something in a new way to increase their knowledge and understanding of it.

丹妮尔把味觉和另一种由基因决定的生理状况做了类比：那就是色盲，也就是无法分辨红绿这类特定颜色的情况。

Danielle compares taste to another genetically controlled condition being colour blind, or unable to see the difference between certain colours like green and red.

没有人会因为别人是色盲就指责、批评或者怪罪他们。

You wouldn't chastise, criticise or punish someone for being colour blind.

那我们又为什么要随便评判别人的味觉喜好呢？

So why criticise someone's taste?

但如果科学家告诉我们味觉主要由基因决定，那餐厅评论家和品酒师该怎么说呢？

But if scientists are telling us taste is largely genetic, what about restaurant critics and wine connoisseurs?

这些人的工作就是指导我们该吃什么、该喝什么。

People whose job it is to tell us what to eat and drink.

他们的品鉴水平真的比普通人更高吗？

Are their opinions any better than our own?

接下来是国际葡萄酒与烈酒大赛的评委大卫·卡莫德，他接受了BBC世界服务节目《食物链》主持人露丝·亚历山大的采访。

Here's David Camode, wine judge for the International Wine and Spirits Competition, speaking with Ruth Alexander for BBC World Services, the Food Chain'.

科学家已经证实，每个人的味觉都不一样，而且很大程度上是由基因决定的。

Scientists have established that taste is individual and to a large extent actually genetic.

那我就好奇了，这么说来葡萄酒品鉴比赛不就变得毫无意义了吗？

So I wonder, does that render the wine competition a pointless exercise?

当然不是。

No.

换谁都会这么说的，我本来就是干这行的呀。

I mean, would say that, wouldn't I?

但当然了，每个人的口味都是很主观的。

But of course, individual taste is subjective.

无论在哪个生活领域里，人人都有自己的主观偏见，不过我们会被要求——几乎是被要求必须——放下这些偏见。

We all have our own personal prejudices in whatever sphere of, life you want to go into, but we are encouraged, I mean, ordered almost to park those prejudices.

既然大家的味觉天生就不一样，露丝就提出疑问：葡萄酒评比是不是根本没意义，纯粹是浪费时间？

Since people's tastes are naturally different, Ruth asks if wine competitions are pointless, without purpose, and a waste of time.

身为葡萄酒评委的大卫当然不同意这个说法，他还调侃道：“换作是我也会这么说，对吧？”

Being a wine judge, David, of course, disagrees, using the phrase, but I would say that, wouldn't I?

这个表达的意思大概就是，我本来就会这么说嘛。

This phrase means something like, of course, I would say that.

言下之意是，说话人的立场明显有偏向，这么说是有原因的。

It implies there's some reason that what the speaker is saying is obviously biased towards them.

大卫也承认，口味是很主观的，取决于个人的看法和感受，并不是什么客观事实。

David admits that taste is subjective based on personal opinions and feelings rather than on facts.

菲尔，我觉得现在可以揭晓你那个问题的答案了。

And I think it's time to reveal the answer to your question, Phil.

没错。

Right.

我之前问过英国最受欢迎的薯片口味是什么，你回答是芝士洋葱味，这个回答是对的。

I asked for Britain's most popular flavor of crisp, and you said cheese and onion, which was the correct answer.

好的。

Okay.

我们来回顾一下这期节目里学过的词汇，先从短语“开阔眼界”说起，它的意思是用全新的方式去探索某件事，以此增长相关的知识、加深对它的理解。

Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this program, starting with the phrase to broaden or expand your horizons, meaning to explore something in a new way which increases your knowledge and understanding of it.

chastise这个词的意思是严厉惩罚或批评某人。

To chastise means to strongly punish or criticise.

色盲患者无法分辨某些颜色，尤其是绿色和红色。

A colour blind person is unable to distinguish certain colours, especially greens and reds.

如果说某件事毫无意义，就是说它没有任何目的或价值，纯粹是浪费时间。

Something which is pointless has no purpose or meaning and is a waste of time.

接下来是短语‘I would say that, wouldn't I?’

The phrase I would say that, wouldn't I?

这是一个附加疑问句，意思就是我当然会那么说。

Is a tag question, meaning of course I would say that.

最后再来讲一下，如果某件事是主观的，那就意味着它受个人的信念或感受影响，而非基于客观事实。

And finally, if something is subjective, it's influenced by personal beliefs or feelings rather than based on facts.

我们的六分钟节目又到时间了。

Once again, our six minutes are up.

那我们就先说到这里，下次再见。

Goodbye for now.

再见。

Bye.

这里是BBC英语教学网站的《六分钟英语》。

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

感谢大家收听《六分钟英语》。

Thanks for listening to six Minute English.

你身边有没有刚开始学英语的朋友？

Do you know someone who is starting to learn English?

我们专门为他们推出了一套全新的简易视频系列节目，叫做“伦敦到爱丁堡挑战”。

We have a new easy video series just for them, the London to Edinburgh challenge.

三个人，五天时间，只有100英镑的预算。谁能最先抵达爱丁堡？

Three people, five days, £100 Who will get to Edinburgh first?

欢迎到我们的BBC英语学习官网bbclearningenglish.com观看这个系列节目。

Watch the series on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.